Citroen targets BMW, Audi

Citroen has started an ambitious campaign to take on luxury car brands such as BMW and Audi in Australia.

The French car maker this week released its new DS3 hatchback, a rival for the Mini and the upcoming Audi A1.

It’s also the first of a new range of premium-priced small cars that borrow a badge from the brand’s famously innovative car of the 1950s, the DS. (Though Citroen says the letters now stand for dynamic styling.)

The DS3 is the halo model of the next-generation C3 city car due later this year. It has only three doors, though, and brings a revised suspension and slightly stretched body and wheelbase.

Its bodywork is also more distinctive, notably the ‘shark fin’ door pillars and the ‘floating roof’ effect that’s created if buyers opt for a roof colour that contrasts with the rest of the car.

The DS3 is slightly longer than a Mini but is priced right in the heart of its territory. The $32,990 entry-level “DStyle” just undercuts the Mini Cooper auto, while the $35,990 “DSport” saves nearly $4000 over a Cooper S.

Citroen

Customisation will also be a key part of the new Citroen’s appeal – as well as profit for the car maker. The company borrows a similar line from Mini, saying no DS3 need ever be the same because of the vast array of different colour combinations and exterior graphics available.

DS3’s engines aren’t so distinctive – they’re shared with the Mini (as well as Peugeot) – though they help to distinguish the two trim levels.

The DStyle is powered by a 88kW/160Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder mated to a four-speed automatic; the DSport gains a turbocharged version that produces 115kW and 240Nm and is manipulated by a six-speed manual.

According to Citroen’s claims, the DSport is much quicker – 7.3 v 10.9 seconds in the 0-100km/h sprint. Surprisingly, it’s also more efficient, consuming an average of 6.7 litres per 100km compared with the DStyle’s 7.0L/100km.